


Smile With Me Now

by Ryukuroshi



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 12:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3068711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryukuroshi/pseuds/Ryukuroshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Tadashi made Hiro smile and the one time Hiro didn’t want to smile but did anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile With Me Now

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t feel like smiling today and wanted to write about others finding a reason to smile. Seriously, that was the random burst of inspiration for this one-shot ^^’. This isn’t related to my other BH6 fanfiction and sorry if there are any grammatical errors. I wasn’t in the mood to edit and just typed this out in a few hours.

_Tadashi:_ 6 _Hiro:_ a few months old

 

“Do you want to hold him?” Maemi asked Tadashi who was staring, enraptured by the bundle on her lap.

 

His eyes widened at her in disbelief. “C-can I?”

 

Smiling, she nodded and beckoned him over to the couch where Tadashi plopped down besides her. “Here, hold out your arms and gently...careful! Make sure your other arm is supporting his head.”

 

Letting out an ‘oof’ as he bore the full weight of his brother, he commented, “He’s heavy.”

 

Maemi laughed, “Imagine carrying him around all day. He refuses to stay still.” Tadashi inwardly cringed in horror, feeling a new respect for his mom for being able to carry Hiro around all day _and_ handle all his needs.

 

A babble broke through his thoughts and Tadashi turned to grin down at his brother. “Hey there, Hiro. Man, if you get any heavier than this, I won’t be able to carry you around at all.”

 

He grimaced at that thought and Hiro laughed cheerfully in response at his brother’s funny expression. Seeing this, Tadashi continued to make funny faces back as Maemi watched on fondly.

 

He liked seeing Hiro smile.

* * *

 

 _Tadashi:_ 9 _Hiro:_ 3

 

Tadashi gazed out at the dark streets of San Fransokyo, taking in the beauty of the night but feeling uncomfortable with the _unfamiliarity_ of it all. He wasn’t used to seeing stores and restaurants, nor random people walking up and down the streets. Back at home - house, back at the old house he used to live in, they were surrounded by other houses and their neighbors did not roam the streets at night.

 

Sighing, he placed his chin on his clasped hands when he heard a shuffle behind him. Turning, he rose an eyebrow at the sight of his baby brother, the light of the moon highlighting his tousled hair and pale features.

 

“Hiro? What are you doing up?”

 

“Couldn’t sleep…” Hiro replied, rubbing his eyes sleepily with a loose fist. “I miss them…” He added on after a moment. Tadashi stilled for a moment, then leaned over to place Hiro on his lap.

 

“I miss them too, buddy.” He said simply, not wanting to repeat what everyone said about how they’ll ‘always be with you’ or ‘live on in your heart’. It still hurt no matter what anyone said and quite frankly, he’d rather have his parents alive with them now instead of watching over them from afar.

 

“How come we have to move too?” Hiro asked, fiddling with his night shirt. “I liked our house.”

 

“I do too, but Aunt Cass has her shop here and our house is too far for her to travel back and forth every day. But hey, at least we all this space now for experiments and eat snacks whenever we want. Um, don’t tell Aunt Cass I said that.”

 

Hiro ‘hmmed’ noncommittally in response, leaning back against his brother and staring at his reflection against the window.

 

Not liking the sullen expression on his face, he poked Hiro, “Hey, do you want to hear a story?”

 

“A story? About what?” Hiro looked up curiously. Thinking fast, Tadashi looked out at the window, spotting the moon in the sky. “About the rabbit and the old man on the moon. Dad told me it awhile ago before you were born. So it’s about this Old Man on the Moon who became a beggar and…”

 

Tadashi regaled the tale to his brother, waving his arms at all the right parts and lowering his voice at the suspenseful parts.  Soothed by the sound of his brother’s warm voice, Hiro listened for as long as he could until he fell asleep with a small smile and his face.

 

“...And so that’s why we have the moon-viewing festival O-tskukimi! Pretty cool, right? Hiro?” Listening silently, he noticed the soft, even breaths of his brother as he slept and Tadashi’s lips quirked into a gentle smile. “Good night, otouto.”

* * *

 

 _Tadashi:_ 14 _Hiro:_ 8

 

“Serves you right! You think you’re better than us just because you happen to have better grades!”

 

“Nerd! Go hang out with all your nerd friends!”

 

“Ha, he doesn’t even have any. Who’d want to be friends with a know-it-all?”

 

“ _Hey!_ What do you think you’re doing?!”

 

“Oh shoot it’s the brother, run!”

 

Tadashi sprinted after them for a moment as the three boys ran for their lives before pulling to a stop, breaths heavy with fury and frustration. “Cowards!” He called after them in a rare display of anger, but who could blame him? This was becoming way too common an occurrence. He was starting to think he should just get a moped or something so he can get to Hiro’s school quicker to pick him up to avoid all this.  

 

Doubling back, he knelt besides his younger brother, who was sprawled across the ground and covered with dirt. “Hiro, where are you hurt?”

 

Hiro brushed off his brother, grimacing in pain as he stood up stiffly. “I’m alright. It was just a little fight, no big deal.” He laughed awkwardly as Tadashi frowned at him, not believing him for an instant.

 

“Come on.” Tadashi said instead, grabbing Hiro’s arm as they made their way back to the cafe.

 

“Seriously, Tadashi, I’m fine. You worry too much.”

 

His statement was soon proven wrong when they got back home later.

 

“Stop! Stop! It stings!” Hiro tried to squirm away as Tadashi dabbed at a cut on his face with an antibiotic-soaked cotton.

 

Tadashi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re completely fine, you knucklehead. Now hold still before I accidentally jab you in the eye with this.”

 

At that comment, Hiro froze and even held his breath as Tadashi finished treating him, placing a band-aid on his cheek. “There, it shouldn’t leave scar.”

 

“Thanks…” Hiro muttered, kicking his feet lightly back and forth on the bed. Tadashi could probably guess what was going through his mind and it had something to do with all these incidents at school. Some kids just did not like being outshined by someone younger than them and Tadashi could kind of see where they were coming from, but it didn’t make any of their actions right. Especially when his precious brother got hurt in the process.

 

He rummaged through his first-aid kit before pulling out something he always had stored in there. “Here.” He held out a lollipop in front of Hiro’s face.

 

Looking up, Hiro’s eyes brightened at the treat. “Wow, thanks!” He said much more enthusiastically than before, ripping off the wrapper and placing the candy in his mouth with super speed.

 

He smiled slightly as Tadashi ruffled his hair. “No problem, bonehead.”

* * *

 

 _Tadashi:_ 19 _Hiro:_ 13

 

Tadashi was nearly vibrating with excitement as he stood next to Aunt Cass after his brother’s graduation ceremony. Aunt Cass was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue and Tadashi was just so proud of his brother, _graduating high school at 13, just. Wow._

 

He had finished all his work early just for this day and thanked his friends again in his mind for picking up his class work.

 

However, after fifteen minutes and still no sign of Hiro, Tadashi and Aunt Cass were beginning to get worried.

 

“Hey Aunt Cass, why don’t you head back to the cafe first while I look for him? He’s probably somewhere in this giant crowd.”

 

Biting her lip, Aunt Cass nodded. “Alright, just make sure you two don’t come back too late. I’m making both of your favorites tonight!”

 

Laughing lightly, Tadashi waved at her as he walked back into the crowd. Takoyaki and hot wings were certainly a weird combo for dinner.

 

“Excuse me,” he asked one of Hiro’s teachers. “Have you seen my brother?” Mr. Hendrickson peered at him through his owl-eyed glasses. “Hiro? Why, I saw him leave about ten minutes ago.”

 

 _Ten minutes ago?_ Tadashi said a quick thanks as he headed for his moped. It was for moments like this that he was glad he decided to sew GPS chips into his brother’s hoodies. However, it was thirty minutes later when he finally found his brother at one of the parks, well-hidden by all the trees and cars.

 

Puttering to a stop, Tadashi parked his moped at the entrance. “Hiro?” He called out, but no one answered him. Stepping into the park, he finally found Hiro at the swing sets, pushing himself back and forth with his graduation cap and gown in heap in front of him.

 

“Hey...what are you doing here?” Tadashi asked softly, the rustle of leaves the only sound in the park.

 

“...Nothing,” Hiro replied after a moment.

 

“People don’t usually come to secluded parks to do nothing,” Tadashi replied, sitting down on the swing besides Hiro.

 

“To think, then. And for peace and quiet.”

 

“Hey, I can totally do peace and quiet.” Tadashi ignored the odd thought of Hiro and the words ‘peace and quiet’ going together. He was usually rambunctious and bouncing all over the place with new ideas and inventions. “Want to tell me what you’re thinking about?”

 

There was a few minutes of silence, in which both brothers just swung back and forth lightly on the swing before Hiro spoke up. “I don’t want to go back to school.”

 

“What?” Tadashi nearly fell off the swing. “Why?”

 

“Because!” Hiro threw up his hands in frustration. “You know why. I’m just... _tired._ Of everything and anything related to school. I just want to be able to do what I want without people - without,” Hiro cut himself off, crossing his arms as he glared at nothing in particular.

 

Tadashi looked at his brother, really looked at his brother, seeing all the rips and tears in his hoodie and the bags under his eyes. How these days he no longer seemed as energetic and even seemed to walk around sluggishly around the house, and dragged himself off to school every morning with reluctance and unhappiness.

 

He felt guilty for not doing _more_ even though he was aware of what was going on at school and seeing how upset at just the idea of more school was making his brother, what else could he say but: “...Okay.”

 

“...What? Okay? That’s it? No, ‘You’re throwing away your future, Hiro’, no ‘College will give you more learning opportunities’, no ‘Don’t give up on something you haven’t even tried’? No Tadashi-patented big brother lectures about the importance of going to nerd school?”

 

“...No?” Tadashi gave him a weird look. “Do I really sound like that?”

 

Hiro just gave him a Look in return and Tadashi sighed. “Okay, maybe sometimes, but no, no lectures. I don’t think you want to hear any right now. How can I tell you to go to ‘nerd’ school if you really don’t want to go?”

 

Hiro squinted skeptically at his brother. “I’m serious, Hiro. I still think you should go to college, but!” He added quickly when Hiro stiffened noticeably, “but, you still have time to decide on what you want to do. You’re thirteen, most people don’t go to college until they’re at least seventeen. I’ll even talk to Aunt Cass if you want some time off before you decide on anything.”

 

“Really? You’re not joking are you?”

 

“No, everyone needs a break, even you little bro.” Tadashi stood up and stretched. “Now, how about some ice cream before we head back. I won’t tell Aunt Cass if you won’t.”

 

Hiro scrambled to his feet, picking up his belongings as he stared at Tadashi’s back. “Tadashi!” He called. A moment of silence passed before Hiro said anything. “Just...thanks for, you know…”

 

Tadashi didn’t turn around as he said, “Yeah, I know,” and Hiro smiled to himself as he followed his brother.

 

Tadashi would kind of regret his decision within a few months though when the illegal bot-fighting started.

* * *

 

 _Tadashi:_ 20 _Hiro:_ 14

 

“Hey...Tadashi? Are you awake?” Hiro called out from across the room.

 

A muffled grunt answered him followed by a sleepy, “Yeah…?”

 

“What if...What if something goes wrong at the showcase tomorrow? What if they don’t like my microbots? What if they think I’m too young for their school? What if -”

 

“Woah, woah, that’s way too many ‘what ifs’ at this time of night.” Tadashi interrupted, sitting up in bed. He blinked groggily for a few seconds, then looked across the room and rose an eyebrow at the bundle of blankets on the bed with a pair of eyes staring back at him. “You look like the monster that you used to make me always check under the bed for.”

 

“Tadashi!” Hiro whispered indignantly, the pair of eyes turning into a glare.

 

Tadashi laughed quietly before his expression turned serious. “Come here,” he beckoned, and Hiro only paused for a moment before he scrambled to Tadashi’s side of the room, blankets and all.

 

Scooting over on his bed, he made room for his brother. “There’s no use wondering about the ‘what ifs’, Hiro. No one can tell what will happen tomorrow, but I for one, know that you’ll be great. I’ve seen you preparing all these months and your microbots are amazing and I know for sure the others would agree with me. You can help so many people in the world with them.”

 

“...How do you know?” Hiro asked, cocooning himself in his blankets.

 

“I just know.” Tadashi tapped the side of his head. “Big brother’s instinct. They’ll love you tomorrow and you’ll be accepted into SFIT, there’s no doubt about it. I can’t wait to work with you in the labs, just think of the things we can invent together.”

 

Hiro had a sudden flashback to his entry in his journal: _Tadashi + Hiro = Universe-changing technology!_

 

“Yeah…” he agreed quietly. Just when Tadashi thought that Hiro had fallen asleep, Hiro spoke up again. “Hey, nii-san?”

 

Tadashi’s eyes popped open at those words, words that he hadn’t heard since Hiro was at least seven and was being teased at school for being a cry-baby and for always clinging to his brother.

 

“Yeah?” He replied, equally as soft.

 

“Thank you, for not giving up on me. I know it hasn’t been easy, but…” Hiro cut off when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. Tadashi pressed his cheek against Hiro’s head.

  
“I would never give up on you, otouto,” Tadashi answered, the words feeling foreign on his lips from years of disuse, but feeling so familiar and warm at the same time.

 

Hiro smiled softly as the two fell asleep, side-by-side.

* * *

 

 _Hiro:_ 14

 

“Your blood pressure is elevated. You appear to be distressed.” Baymax’s calm voice filled the air, but Hiro couldn’t bring himself to care. He was just...so _furious_. _How could Professor Callaghan leave Tadashi behind like that? His brother admired him! Hiro admired him! He wasn’t supposed to be Yokai, the evil mask-wearing villain who had no care for others’ lives as long as he achieved his goal._

 

And his brother wasn’t supposed to be _dead._ Tadashi wasn’t supposed to _die,_ especially not for someone who didn’t even care and left him to die!

 

“I’m fine.” He bit out as he grabbed Baymax’s helmet and slammed the helmet over Baymax’s head. “There, is it working?” He asked impatiently, his mind clouded with fury and thoughts of revenge.

 

He shook with withheld emotion as Baymax looked around before replying, “My sensors are operational.”

 

“Good, then let’s get…” Hiro frowned as he jabbed at Baymax’s access port, which refused to open. “What?”

 

“Are you going to remove my healthcare chip?” Baymax enquired.

 

“Yes. _Open!_ ” He jabbed at the access port with increasing force, his finger starting to hurt with the ferocity of his action, _but not as much as knowing Tadashi died for no_ reason.

 

“My purpose is to heal the sick and injured-”

 

“Baymax, _open_ your access port!” Hiro nearly growled.

 

“Do you want me to terminate Professor Callghan?” Baymax asked, his tone not changing at all despite Hiro’s rising frustration and _overwhelming grief_.

 

“JUST OPEN!”

  
“Will terminating Professor Callaghan improve your emotional state?”

 

“Yes!” _Wait._ “No!” _...What?_ “I don’t know! Just open!” Hiro resorted to pulling at the access port with both hands, but it refused to budge.

 

“Is this what Tadashi would have wanted?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

 

“Tadashi programmed me to aid -”

 

 _“TADASHI IS GONE!”_  Hiro shouted hoarsely, slamming his fists against Baymax’s chest as his shout filled the garage.

 

He slumped over, sliding down with both his hands in tightened fists besides his head. “Tadashi’s …gone...” Hiro repeated brokenly, his nails biting into his palms and the pain in his heart feeling like a raw and gaping hole. Despair, desperation, and fury had him in their grips until he felt like he no longer knew what was up from down, left from right, _right or wrong_.

 

He just wanted his brother back.

 

“Tadashi is here.”

 

“No..he’s not here.”

 

“Tadashi is here,” Baymax repeated, sounding stubborn despite not ever-changing his soft and soothing tones.

 

_Bzz._

 

_“This is Tadashi Hamada…and...this is the first test of my robotics project.”_

Hiro’s eyes widened in shock and his head snapped up to stare at the projection on Baymax’s chest.

 

_“Hello, I am Baymax.”_

 

 _“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!”_ Tadashi waved his arms frantically as a high-pitched screech rent the air, his face scrunched up in pain.

 

Hiro gasped, his eyes sweeping back and forth the screen as he absorbed his brother’s features, feeling tears well up at the back of his eyes. It had been so long since he last heard his brother’s voice. _Nii-san..._

 

 _“I’m not giving up on you. You don’t understand this yet, but people need you.”_ Tadashi glared defiantly at the screen. _“So let’s get back to work.”_

 

Hiro continued watching, a heavy burden on his back seeming to lighten as he watched his brother struggle to build Baymax with the sole intention of wanting to help people and save lives. His brother’s magnum opus to the world.

 

Hiro lowered his head, starting to realize just how far he’d gone in altering Baymax’s original functions and feeling the first stirrings of guilt combined with the weight of his other emotions. He felt sick to his stomach, but at the same time, more clear-minded than he had been in days.

 

 _“This is Tadashi Hamada...84th Test!”_ Tadashi grinned hopefully at Baymax, _“What d’ya say big guy?”_

 

 _“Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion._ ” With each word Tadashi’s eyes widened with disbelief and hope.

 

 _“...It worked! Oh! This is amazing!”_ Tadashi ran around his lab. _“It worked!”_ He repeated, kissing the screen and dancing around in pure joy as he repeated _‘I knew it!’_ in a sing-song manner.

 

 _“Alright...big moment here.”_ Tadashi spread out his arms, a radiant smile on his face. _“Scan me.”_

 

_“Your neurotransmitter levels are elevated. This indicates that you are happy.”_

 

 _“I am, I really am!”_ Tadashi replied earnestly. _“Oh man, wait ‘til my brother sees you. You’re going to help so many people buddy.”_

 

Unbidden, a watery smile spread across Hiro’s face as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

 _“...That’s all for now. I am satisfied with my care.”_ And the screen froze as Hiro raised a shaking hand towards his brother’s face, sniffling with both loss and joy, a sense of peace and understanding finally pushing away all his negativity, resentment, and thoughts of vengeance.

 

Wiping his eyes, he stepped back, raising his eyes to look at Baymax who blinked back at him curiously.

 

“Baymax...I am so sorry...this is not what he would have wanted.” He stiffened when he heard footsteps approaching him.

 

“Hiro.” Twisting around, he stepped down the ladder as his friends made his way towards him, with GoGo at the front.

 

He couldn’t face them and looking away, he tried to explain, “Guys...I-I-” but stopped when GoGo pulled him into a hug. Blinking back tears, he leaned into the embrace, feeling so thankful that his friends understood without having to say anything.

 

She pulled back and looked Hiro in the eyes, her voice gentle but firm as she said, “We’re going to catch Callaghan, and this time, we’re going to do it right.”

 

Later, just as he and his team were about to confront Callaghan for the final time, Hiro froze when he felt someone hug him from behind.

 

He sighed, “Guys, really, I’m…” only to trail of when he saw no one behind him. “...Tadashi?”

 

Baymax stepped next to Hiro. “Tadashi is here.”

And for once, Hiro couldn't rebuke him because at that moment, he believed Tadashi was here, too.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I couldn’t resist adding a ghostly touch though I was seriously considering just leaving him abruptly dead, the sadistic writer I am.  
> Kudos to those who noticed my Baymax manga reference :) As always, please leave a review about what you think if you liked or disliked anything. Unfortunately, the DVD isn’t out yet so I had to do certain scenes by memory and by watching random clips on youtube. 
> 
> Also, I am currently open to one-shot requests for the BH6 fandom, though I’ll choose what piques my interest. I’ll write anything but romance. You can message me on my tumblr (tsukuroshi.tumblr.com)


End file.
